When someone thinks of buying a smartwatch, the first product that comes to everyone¡¯s mind is Apple Watch. And sure, with so many cases and incidents of it saving lives, people surely term it as the smartwatch worth owning. But that only makes sense if you have an iPhone, as Apple Watch doesn¡¯t really pair with an Android device.?
For Android users, there are several brands with cost-effective smartwatch offerings that offer great fitness tracking and clean looks while being easy on the budget, but none are really close to the Cupertino giant¡¯s offering. Samsung¡¯s newest entrant into the market -- the Galaxy Watch Active 2 is trying to claim the same space for Android users. But how does it really fair? Let¡¯s find out.?
One of the strong points of the Watch Active 2 is its aesthetics. We got the stainless-steel variant which looks really premium with its chrome finish.?
The dial looks really minimal with no extra elements to make it look chunky and heavy. The watch looks great in both a man and a woman¡¯s wrist. The aesthetic choice also makes it perfect to be worn either on formals or casuals, it looks perfect.?
Another cool element of the Watch Active 2¡¯s versatility is that users can easily switch to the kind of watch strap they want. Leather, fibre metal, you name it.?
The strap loop is like a conventional watch so you can set your watch to suit your attire.
Since it's a smartwatch that is trying to compete against Apple Watch it has to have some really good fitness tracking features. The auto-detection mode on the Galaxy Watch Active 2 is fairly accurate. It automatically sensed when I started walking and switched the watch's UI to workout mode.?
Even while working out it was able to detect whether I was trying to bench press or do push-ups. It has support for a variety of fitness modes including swimming and trekking.
With the screen on full time and extensive workout regimes, the watch manages to last a day and a half with ease on a single charge, which isn't much, but smartwatches aren't good with battery life anyway. You can stretch this to two whole days if you're lucky.
If you turn off always screen on mode and enable power-saving modes, the watch manages to last three to four days with ease.
The smartwatch supports eSIM and 4G LTE connectivity. And while I tried setting this up on my Vodafone and Jio connection, it somehow didn't work for me. Being always paired to my phone, I could answer calls though, and the experience was okay.?
I cannot even think of using this outdoors (where this feature really makes sense) as it'll barely be audible. And if I can only use indoors, I might as well use the phone directly.
Don't get me wrong the 1.4 inch OLED display isn't the worst you'll see on a smartwatch, but it lacked sharpness in my opinion, and it definitely is something that people will look for at the price point it's being targeted at.
Galaxy smartwatches are known for a unique USP -- the rotating dial to browse through the UI and the experience is nothing short of amazing since it also prevents unnecessary oils and smudges on the display while adding an extra layer of security.
Alas with the Watch Active 2's minimal aesthetic, the dial is gone and you get a thick black bezel which helps you to do exactly that, minus the tactile feedback -- and that doesn't quite cut it.
Samsung's Watch Active 2 smartwatch is a breath of fresh air in the already dated smartwatch market. Sure it misses out on a few things, it compensates for it with a sturdy build, versatile aesthetics and a decent battery life.?
Starting at Rs 25,990 this surely is a worthy competitor standing against the Apple Watch with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a premium smartwatch.